Strollerderby : family

Best of FameCrawler - Week of May 29th

Whit Honea — Fri, 29 May 2009 20:00:00 GMT

Mike Tyson's 4-Year-Old Daughter Dies

Madonna Dishes on A-Rod and Kate Hudson

Confirmed - Gisele is Pregnant With Tom Brady's Baby!

Nicole Richie, Dad Lionel & Daughter Harlow (PHOTOS)

Sneak Peek! Jon & Kate Plus 8 Season Premiere

Kelly Rutherford, Lies and Videotape

Amy Mickelson's Breast Cancer Battle

Michelle Williams and Daughter Matilda Support Their Local Coffee House

Angelina Jolie: Madonna Adopts For Fame

Jon & Kate - Who Are The Kids Happier With? (Photos)

Slumdog Kids Finally Get A Home!

Brian Grazer's Prenup Still Makes Wife Rich

Jon & Kate Plus 8 Premiere Snags 9.8 Million Viewers

Brett Singer — Wed, 27 May 2009 17:00:00 GMT

So you know this Kate Gosselin we've been hearing so much about? Mother, reality show star, husband may or may not be cheating on her? Lots of backlash against her?

After all the sturm und drang that the Gosselins have generated in recent weeks, you might think that would hurt their ratings. But you would be wrong.

The season premiere of "Jon & Kate Plus 8" was watched by 9.8 million people. That's not only the largest audience for a cable show on Monday. It was the largest audience for ANY show that evening.

People, negativity sells. Big time.

Yes, it was Memorial Day. But "Jon & Kate" isn't even on a network. It's on cable. Which means that not everyone -- most people, but not everyone -- can see the show. To me, this was an astonishing feat.

I have a confession to make. I don't watch "Jon & Kate Plus 8." I don't watch any reality shows regularly, which isn't a judgment on those of you that do. It's just not my thing. (If they could make a reality show with superheroes in it, that I might watch.) But all of the tabloid news has been oddly fascinating to me. I read the People Magazine article. Someone left a copy of US Weekly in my house and I read the "Jon & Kate" article. (Well, I started it. But I'll finish it.) And I have to admit that I might just check out a few minutes of the show.

Did you watch the "JK8" premiere? Did the recent scandals surrounding the couple make you more interested in the show?

Source: Hartford Courant

Morning News - California Supreme Court Upholds Prop 8

Kate Gosselin - Mom or Monster?

Gosselins are Good for a Gander (big roundup of stories on Famecrawler)

Mom Arrested for Having 555 Pound Son

Morning News - Mike Tyson's Daughter Injured

Best of FameCrawler - Week of May 22nd

Whit Honea — Fri, 22 May 2009 20:00:00 GMT

Gosselins are Good for a Gander

Katie Holmes Sets a Bad Example For Suri

Mormon Marie Osmond Supports Her Gay Daughter!

Stars Come Out For American Idol Finale: Brad Garrett and Kids Max and Hope

Barbara Walters To Interview John Edwards' Mistress Rielle Hunter!?

Bristol Palin and Son Tripp Cover People

Angelina Catches Brad and Jen Aniston Together!

Kate Gosselin Blogs Her Troubles Away

Matt Damon: Bourne to Be a Dad

Pregnant Lauren London & Lil Wayne Will Raise Baby Together!!!

Kelly Clarkson Looks Like She's Pregnant!

Caption This, Julia Roberts (or Don't)

Neighborhood Watch

editors — Thu, 21 May 2009 19:00:00 GMT

Today on Babble:

Neighborhood Watch.

By Ashley Shelby.

How would I protect my family from the sex offender across the street?

Read it here.

Best of FameCrawler - Week of May 15th

Whit Honea — Fri, 15 May 2009 20:00:00 GMT

Tom Cruise Pressuring Katie For Another Baby?

Dirk Nowitzki's Fiance Arrested?

Comedian Wanda Sykes & Wife Alex Welcome Twins!

Jada Pinkett Smith a Lesbian?

Julie Bowen Welcomes Twin Boys

Mary Stuart Masterson Has Reason to Smile!

Manny Ramirez Busted!

Chyler Leigh Welcomes Daughter Anniston

Sean Penn Still Dating Natalie Portman, Robin is Pissed!

Kate Gosselin's Heartbreak: Jon & I May Separate

Look, Look, It's Another Octomom Story

Jon Gosselin Shelled Out Big Bucks To Buy Mistress Presents

Best of FameCrawler - Week of May 8th

Whit Honea — Fri, 08 May 2009 20:00:00 GMT

Julia Roberts Shows Her Bikini Bod & Tattoo In Honor Of Her Kids (PHOTOS)

Jon & Kate - Jon Is Cheating -It's Been Confirmed - Photos

Elizabeth Edwards Has "No Idea" If John's The Baby Daddy

Jon Gosselin Tells EW Exclusively "I Did NOT Cheat!"

I'm Following You, Nicole Richie

Pregnant Heidi Klum Naked on Ellen - Video

Mary Stuart Masterson Has Reason to Smile!

'Idol' Winner David Cook Announces his Brother's Passing at 5K Race (VIDEO)

Matthew Fox Prepares to get UnLost with Family

Jenny McCarthy To Get Her Own Talk Show?

Ed Burns and Christy Turlington Are Not Selfish

Kate Gosselin To Address Rumors About Jon?

The 10 Best Carousels in the U.S.

editors — Mon, 04 May 2009 12:00:00 GMT

Their horses won't gallop off for a fox hunt like Mary Poppins' did, but your kids are sure to enjoy a jolly holiday nonetheless as they glide along on antique wooden ponies, lions, and bears! And you'll get a trip down memory lane (plus some great pictures). Here are the ten best carousels country-wide, courtesy of National Geographic's The Ten Best of Everything: Families:

1. Crescent Park Carousel

700 Bullocks Point Ave., Riverside, RI 02915, 401-435-7518
www.eastprovidenceri.net/boards/CrescentParkCarousel.php

Ride the flying steeds or magical chariots and capture the brass ring. Beautiful decorative panels, beveled mirrors, faceted glass jewels, and colored sandwich glass windows make this 1895 Looff carousel a masterpiece.

2. Flying Horse Merry-Go-Round

Bay St., Westerly, RI 02891, 401-348-6007
www.visitrhodeisland.com

This Watch Hill, R.I., carousel is the oldest in the country. Only children are permitted to ride these horses, which are hand-carved from a single piece of wood and feature authentic tails, manes, leather saddles, and agate eyes. Try to grab the brass ring!

3. Trimper’s Rides

South First St. & the Boardwalk, Ocean City, MD 21842, 410-289-8617
www.beach-net.com/trimpers

This is one of the oldest operating carousels in the country. Children love to choose from its menagerie of animals, including a cat, dog, frog, rooster, deer, goat, lion, tiger, ostrich, pig, and dragon.

4. Glen Echo Park

7300 MacArthur Blvd., Glen Echo, MD 20812, 301-634-2222
www.glenechopark.org/kids.htm

Located in the suburbs of the nation’s capital, this beautiful menagerie Dentzel carousel is a wonderful place to ride a tiger or giraffe. And, under the canopy of a thousand lights, within the circle of animals, a horse leads. Which one is it?

5. Midway Carousel

Cedar Point, One Cedar Point Dr., Sandusky, OH 44870, 419-627-2350
www.cedarpoint.com

Built in 1912, this park classic takes riders on a gentle ride up and down and around on a beautifully carved steed. The ride includes sixty horses and four chariots, four abreast.

6. Cedar Downs Racing Derby

Cedar Point, One Cedar Point Dr., Sandusky, OH 44870, 419-627-2350
www.cedarpoint.com

Who will cross the finish line first? Sixty-four horses race four abreast around the track, with each horse seeming to gallop independently. The momentum of the ride increases to reach a thrilling 15 mph.

7. Kiddy Kingdom Carousel

Cedar Point, One Cedar Point Dr. Sandusky, OH 44870, 419-627-2350
www.cedarpoint.com

For little ones only. This finely crafted Dentzel carousel boasts 16 standing and 36 jumping animals, two chariots, and a menagerie consisting of bears, rabbits, ostriches, a lion, a tiger, and a donkey.

8. 1909 Looff Carousel

Riverfront Park, 507 N. Howard St. Spokane, WA 99201, 509-625-6600
www.spokaneriverfrontpark.com

A 1909 Looff, this beautiful and well-preserved hand-carved wooden carousel is on the National Register of Historic Places. It features 54 horses, a giraffe, a tiger, and 2 Chinese dragon chairs. A favorite horse, Miss Liberty, is adorned in red, white, and blue and has a lunging, outstretched neck, giving her the look of speed.

9. Santa Monica Pier Carousel

1600 Ocean Front Walk, Santa Monica, CA 9029 301-458-8900
www.santamonicapier.org

Located on the Santa Monica Pier and housed in a historic Moorish-style shelter overlooking the ocean, this beautiful 1920s-era indoor carousel is gaily painted, with prancing horses, ponies, and chariots. Gleaming brass poles, festive lights, and mirrored panels evoke an earlier time. One hundred years old in September 2009, the Pier is a classic “SoCal” destination.

10. 1911 Looff Carousel

Santa Cruz Beach, 400 Beach St. Santa Cruz, CA 95060, 831-423-5590
www.beachboardwalk.com

Designated a National Historic Landmark, this 1911 Looff carousel features a working ring dispenser and boasts 73 uniquely hand-carved wooden horses. Interestingly, some smile and show their teeth, while others are more serious. Some are flower-draped; all have real horsehair tails. Located in Santa Cruz’s Beach Boardwalk. The distinctive carousel music is produced by antique band organs, including the Boardwalk’s original (and recently restored) 1894 organ.

Photo: Kim Baker

Best of FameCrawler - Week of May 1st

Whit Honea — Fri, 01 May 2009 20:00:00 GMT

Details Revealed About SJP Twins: Elisabeth Hasselbeck Is Her Surrogate!

Rosie O'Donnell's Marital Spat Gets Twittered By Neighbor

BREAKING: Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick Expecting Twins!

Gavin Rossdale Had A Secret Romance?

Portraits of the Artists as Young Men - Before They Were Famous

Wolverine Goes to Disneyland

Sarah Jessica Parker - Baby Bump On Display

Patton Oswalt Welcomes a Baby Girl

Brangelina Started Because Jennifer Aniston Is A Secret Lesbian?

Jennifer Aniston Adopting A Boy!

Best of FameCrawler - Week of April 24th

Whit Honea — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 20:00:00 GMT

David Beckham's Victoria Tattoo Is Misspelled

David Kellerman -CFO Of Freddie Mac Commits Suicide

Photos Don't Lie: Angelina & Brad Did THIS

In Which Tom Cruise and John Travolta Will Ruin Movies for Our Children and Our Children's Children

Geri Halliwell Reveals Her Dark Past

Guess the Baby Bump!

Celebrity Guess Who: Name the Mom Edition

CBS' Julie Chen Pregnant!

Octomom Nadya Suleman is Ready to Add to The Family, AAACK!

Madonna's Ex-Chef: She's A Self-Centered Mother

Best of FameCrawler - Week of April 17th

Whit Honea — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 20:00:00 GMT

Pete Wentz Posts Photos Of Baby Bronx's Nursery

I was Right - Heidi Klum is Pregnant

THIS Photo Is Why Joel Madden Loves Nicole Richie!

Controversy City Continues: Levi Johnston Dishes More About Palins

Gisele Bundchen, Tom Brady and 'Their Son' On the Beach

There Is a God: Leaked Nude Pictures of Hugh Jackman! (PHOTOS)

Farrah Fawcett Near Death?

Suspect Arrested in Killing of 8-Year-Old Sandra Cantu

Hugh Laurie Says "My Children are Perfect"

Mel Gibson's Wife Files For Divorce (PHOTOS)

Tragedy Strikes Katie Holmes and Family

Jamie Foxx Trashes Miley Cyrus On His Radio Show

Best of FameCrawler - Week of April 10th

Whit Honea — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 20:00:00 GMT

Uncle Jimmy Fallon Uses Twitter to Fight Slight

Jon & Kate Plus 8 - Was Jon Given A Sports Car For Another Season?

Tennis Pro Lindsay Davenport Hoping for a Tomboy

Gwyneth Paltrow: Shampoo Is Harming Our Kids

Gisele Bundchen, Tom Brady and 'Their Son' On the Beach

Pete Wentz Plays With Strippers, Sends Ashlee Home With Bronx

Spike Jonze Has Potty Training On The Brain: Everyone Poops Video

Sarah Michelle Gellar is Pregnant

Update: Jon & Kate Gosselin Talk About Their Marriage Rumors!

Controversy City Continues: Levi Johnston Dishes More About Palins

Octomom - I'll Never Take Government Assistance, Oops I Lied!

Nicole and Joel's Spur of the Moment Wedding Ruined by Zac Efron's Family - Video!

Best of FameCrawler - Week of April 3rd

Whit Honea — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 20:00:00 GMT

Tori Spelling's Weight Drops To 98 LBS (PHOTOS)

Exclusive - Jon & Kate Plus 8 to Battle Nadya Suleman and the Octuplets on Dancing With the Stars

Jenny McCarthy Weighed 200 Pounds?

Jennifer Garner Needs To Take Care Of Herself

First Photo of Octomom With Six of Her Octuplets

Carson Daly Strolls with Son

Alison Sweeney's Post-Baby Body

American Idol's Alexis Grace Comes Home to Daughter

What Did David Spade Do On American Idol? (VIDEO)

Anna Nicole Smith's Father Blames Howard Stern

Blended Family Works With Therapy

Brett Singer — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 18:30:00 GMT

Here's the story / of a lovely lady / who was living with three very lovely girls…

And so on. You know it, don't you? If not, here's a refresher:

And here's Jamie Foxx singing it, just because it's funny.

For the Bradys, it looked so easy. Real life is rarely that simple. So Claudia Gryvatz Copquin and her boyfriend Glen Ames decided to move in together, they sought help from a therapist.

In general, I'm a believer in therapy. I find that it helps me, and I've known many people who benefited from talking things over with a professional. But when someone says, "I wish the therapist could move in with us," my eyebrows go up like Mr. Spock when Doctor McCoy says something particularly illogical. (Except that I can't raise just the one brow the way Spock does. Must be a Vulcan thing.)

But things like who sleeps in which bed? That's too much. Seriously, what happened to, "This is what we're doing, deal with it"? If that seems harsh, or unrealistic, OK, maybe. Still, where do you draw the line? Do you call the therapist every time?

Apparently this couple does. In fact /They didn’t commit to living together until receiving a go-ahead from the therapist. “It gave us confidence,” Mr. Ames said./ And Ms. Copquin told the therapist "I wish you could move in with us."

I'm sure the therapist is thrilled. Mo' money! But I think that's too much dependance on outside help. If each person had their own shrink, I might feel differently. I'm not sure why but that seems more productive. If you trek the whole family over to the office whenever there's a fight over the remote control, what kind of life is that?

Source: NY Times

Image: Wikipedia

Husband Loses Job, Wife Loses Respect For Him

They Say - Older Fathers Spawn Dumber Kids

Kate Gosselin Dreamt Of A Husband and Children - Did You?

10 Ways to Avoid a New Family Pet

Mike Adamick (Cry It Out!) — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 15:29:00 GMT

My wife wants nothing more than a cat. She grew up with them and always envisioned a life full of them -- until she met me, Mr. Allergic. I can tell it's the one thing she secretly hates about me.

No really, I mean it. There's only one thing.

Sometimes she goes behind my back, whispering to our daughter things like, "You know, we could have a cat ... but you have to convince daddy first."

It's a scary glimpse of the evil teamwork I just know they'll use in years to come, but right now, our daughter is not yet 3 -- it's so easy to say "no" or something simpler, like "You know, she's not your real mother."

But how about later, when she really learns how to beg? I don't have the general distate for the animals that Creative-Type Dad has -- I'll admit they are cute; I just can't go anywhere near them without dying immediately -- but I'm still keeping his handy list of 10 excuses to avoid a family pet, or, in this case, a cat:

Big Bird use to have a little brother, but cats ate him.
Cats eat Fairies.
Cats are prone to alcoholism.
If you get a cat, you can’t have a unicorn.

I think these are going to work. Check out the rest of the list -- it's hilarious. And let me know, does your family have pet wars?

What's More Embarrassing: Pics of You or Your Kids?

Madeline Holler — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 19:27:00 GMT

Apparently, the way I use Facebook embarrasses my kids. Yes, I did the 25 Things. Yes, I was tagged in a photo from high school (nice asymmetrical, there, Madeline). Yes, I update with my life's minutae, like the fact that my in-laws percolate their coffee and that sometimes I'm tired and want ice-cream.

According to this "Facebook Survival Guide for Awkward Adults" on MSNBC, however, my biggest FB-user/parenting fail is this:

I use my kids' photos (and, yes, the dog's) for my profile pic.

Here's what Daniel Harrison has to say about that:

Listen, your kids are adorable, and while we're at it, let's extend the fiction to say we're glad you finally got someone to marry you.

Nevertheless, those crowning achievements do not belong in your profile picture. Nor, by the way, does a picture of a dog (unless, that is, you really are a dog, in which case, congrats on getting online. That's impressive! Good dog!

Problem is, Mr. Harrison, there are no pictures of me to post.

I don't know how things are in your family, but I'm the one who picks up the camera to record the actions and travels and daily life of our family. If you were to dig through the gigabytes of our digital images or thumb through our few family photo albums, you would think my husband was some kind of heroic single dad -- frolicking with his kids on the beach! Making goofy faces while eating donuts! Dozing off on the sofa with a tiny, sleeping newborn in his arms. How does this guy do it, you would ask, all by himself and without the soothing touch of a mother's hand?

Where am I? Oh, see that ant-sized woman in the red shirt surrounded by lots and lots and lots of background? The tangled mass of wind-blown hair with six chins and a pissy glare? That person, indelicately bent over, petting a goat and unaware that everything under her shirt is fully exposed? Me! All of them, me!

See?

In fact, it's so rare to see me in a nicely composed photo with my kids or, hell, the entire family -- much less, by myself -- I almost don't recognize me when I do happen upon one. What other choice do I have but fill Facebook's weird TinTin-esque default silhouette with mugs of my crowning achievements?

For those of you partnered with crappy picture takers, how do you squeeze into your family photos? Single parents -- real ones -- how do you get pictures of you and your kids? While I'm at it, what's filling your profile pic?

12 Baby Names That Really Won't Make a Comeback

Growing up on Facebook

Strollerderby's on Facebook!

Photo: MSNBC.com

Kate Gosselin Dreamt Of A Husband and Children - Did You?

Brett Singer — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 16:00:00 GMT

Christianity Today has an excerpt from Kate Gosselin's book "Multiple Blessings":

"I'll say it again: Like most little girls, I had dreamed of the day when I would meet my husband, have children, and settle down to live a happily-ever-after kind of life."

Is that what "most little girls" dream of? Getting married and having kids? Am I living in some fantasy world where women have moved beyond the notion that this is what they should do? I realize that Kate isn't saying "all little girls" or even "women belong at home in the kitchen." And most of the rest of the excerpt (I didn't read it all) talks about Kate and her faith, which is a different topic. But isn't this notion that little girls dream of getting married (perhaps in a princess gown) and making babies kind of 1950's? Is "today's Christian woman" (the slogan on the website) the same as yesterday's Christian woman? What the heck, Kate?

Oh, and while you're up, could you get me a beer? Thanks babe.

Source: Christianity Today

TV Is Neither Good Nor Bad For Babies

Fun Stuff To Do When The Kids Get Older

Expose Puts Another Spin on Jon and Kate Plus 8

God's Army

Five Minute Time Out: Kate Gosselin

Best of FameCrawler: Week of March 13th

Whit Honea — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 20:00:00 GMT

Katie Holmes is Beautiful Again

Is Kelly Clarkson Pregnant? (PHOTOS and VIDEO)

Jade Goody's Funeral: Public?

Paramedics Called to New Octomom House

Michael J. Fox is Positive

Angelina Caught Brad With The Nanny!

Gospel Singer BeBe Winans Arrested For Assault

Britney Spears Has A Not So Secret Romance

Best of FameCrawler: Week of March 6th

Whit Honea — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 21:00:00 GMT

Jon Gosselin of "Jon & Kate Plus 8" Cheating on Wife?

Milo and My Son Agree - Scooby Doo is Awesome

T.O. is OUT: Dallas Cowboys Release Terrell Owens

Video - The Bachelor Explains Himself On Jimmy Kimmel

Update!! "The Bachelor" Jason Mesnick Makes His Choice!!

Jade Goody's Wedding Kiss Photo

Angelina Jolie Can't Take It Anymore

Has Marquis Cooper Been Found Alive?

Guess the Celebrity's Kid XII

America's Got Talent's Piers Morgan in Constant Touch with His Children

Best of FameCrawler: Week of February 27th

Whit Honea — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 21:00:00 GMT

Wedding Bells: Dying Jade Goody Gets Her Wish On Sunday

Angelina Jolie and Jennifer Aniston - The Oscar Throw Down

Jade Goody - Her Story

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt at the Oscar

Cruz Beckham Celebrates 4th Birthday in Costume

Naomi Watts Says Sasha is a Total Daddy's Boy

Adriana Lima is Not Pregnant, Just Married

Guess the Pregnant Celebrity IX

Nadya Suleman's Sperm Donor - Tricked!

Teeny Tiny Jade Goody In A Teeny Tiny Wedding Dress

Heidi Klum and Seal at Oscars

After 2nd-Round Loss, Tiger Woods is Going Home

Guess the Celebrity's Kid XVII

Octo-mom Nadya Suleman - Loving Mother or Professional Moocher?

Update: New Spoiler! The Bachelor Jason Mesnick Chooses...

The Great Recession Cooking Show

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 19:17:00 GMT

Remember The Onion headline, “YouTube Contest Challenges Users to Make a ‘Good’ Video?' Well, a savvy user has kicked that challenge's butt with a cooking show of recipes from the Great Depression.

In case you haven’t yet fallen in love with 91-year-old Clara, whose no nonsense approach to cheap, wholesome cooking is matched only by her Great Depression lore. Below is Episode One, in which Clara whips up a pasta dish that I would be thrilled to eat for dinner tonight, recession or not.

You can see Clara cook egg drop soup, peppers and eggs, and bread here. Apparently, Atkins is out in times of economic strife.

Has the economy affected the way your family eats?

Photo: Erik's Choice

Best of FameCrawler: Week of February 20th

Whit Honea — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 21:00:00 GMT

Jade Goody in Her Wedding Dress - Photo

Octuplets Mom Nadya Suleman Abuses Her Children?

Alfie,13, May NOT Be The Father, Will Take DNA Test!

Jack P. Shepherd Welcomes "Coronation Street" Baby No. 3

Nadya Suleman: I'm Not Obsessed With Angelina Jolie. But If You See Brad Pitt, Give Him My Number

American Idol: Single Mom Alexis Grace Makes It To the Top 12

Wanda Opalinska Welcomes "Coronation Street" Baby No. 4

Boy,13 Becomes Father, Sister Had Baby At 13 Too!

Lance Armstrong's Schedule is the Same as His Kids' Schedule

Jade Goody Goes Home To Spend Her Last Days With Family

When, If Ever, Will You Expect Your Kids to Split the Bill?

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 15:30:00 GMT

Now that we’re beyond the days when children had financial value as farm helpers, it’s generally accepted that parents have a responsibility to fully support their children until they are at least 18 (octo-mom notwithstanding). But what happens after children move out and join the workforce varies widely from family to family.

Barring the instance in which the son or daughter ends up being far more financially secure than his or her parents, there inevitably comes a point in every parent’s life when going out to dinner or a movie with your children raises the question, “Who will pay?” Parents’ responses to this question run the gamut from an absolute refusal to ever accept money from their kids to an absolute refusal to ever pay for their grown children.

My own parents are both on the generous end of the spectrum, picking up the tab for all of our leisure activities without a second thought. I’ve always appreciated this unquestioning generosity, not only because it means I get a free meal or movie (though that’s a pretty nice part of the deal), but because it creates a relaxed environment of good will whenever I spend time with my parents. I know that there will be no discussions about money, as there are when I go out with friends or other relatives. I simply trust my parents to choose activities within their means. Because I appreciate this arrangement so much, I plan (or hope!) to do the same for my kids, even after they are financially independent.

On the other hand, I have several friends who would never dream of letting their parents pick up the tab. Ever since they joined the working world, their parents have expected them to chip in, and they have been glad to do so, enjoying both the sense of independence from and generosity toward their parents that this arrangement affords them.

Interestingly, all of the people I know who split the bill with their parents are men. This may be simply a coincidence or it could indicate that there’s a gendered aspect to being comfortable with accepting money from one’s parents.

What financial arrangements do you have with your parents? Do you plan to ask your kids to split the bill once they are grown up?

Photo: Monica Buck/Shine

Is One Dollar a Week a Reasonable Allowance?

Sarah Palin: Family Has to Pull Together for Pregnant Teens

JeanneSager — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 13:34:00 GMT

In what was supposed to be Bristol Palin's big moment with mom's buddy Greta on Fox News, but I doubt anyone was suprised when Alaskan Gov. Sarah Palin stuck her head - and her two cents - into the conversation.

But while her daughter's common sense approach to abstinence-only education (it doesn't work - duuuuh) has been getting all the attention, the former vice presidential candidate was surprisingly on the ball. When things go wrong, she says, families have to come together.

In fact there are five generations coming together in the Palin clan - Bristol, her mom, her grandmother and even her great-grandmother make four, plus baby Tripp. Admittedly (and this isn't a knock on the Palins), it's a lot easier to pull together that kind of crew for a teen mom - they're the few moms young enough to still maybe have a great-grandmother around. But as VanSusteren points out, there's "joy" in the Palin family when they look at the product of a teen pregnancy. Most families don't have that. If anything, a teen pregnancy has the affect of driving families apart as the various generations point fingers and play the blame game.

It can be argued that's how teens fall into the teen pregnancy trap, but not always. Look at the Palins. For all that's wrong with them (do I really need to go there?), they are neither destitute (stereotype number one), lacking in family values (stereotype number two) or, well, a minority (stereotype number three). Any kid can end up a parent at seventeen, whether their parents support them or not.

Once it happens, the only way to wrest a victory for all three kids involved is to throw the weight of the family behind them. Whether that means supporting a teen's abortion, their choice to give up the child for adoption or their choice to keep it. What's happened has happened, and a family turning their back on the kids in their time of need is the absolute worst thing that can happen - for everyone involved.

Teen pregnancy sucks. There is no way around it. But when a kid is in trouble, it's up to their parents to step in and pull them up by those boot straps. It's called parenting, people.

As Palin points out, "It's not the most ideal situation, but certainly you make the most of it."

Kind of like a liberal agreeing with something Sarah Palin says, huh?

Why Sarah Palin Hid Her Pregnancy

Sarah Palin Speaks To Esquire About Kids And Things

Bristol Palin Tells Fox Mom's Got it All Wrong

Best of FameCrawler: Week of February 13th

Whit Honea — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 21:00:00 GMT

Nadya Suleman Exclusive Interview on Dateline - Video

Nadya Suleman's Pregnancy Was Huge. Literally. (PHOTO)

First Pictures of Nadya Suleman's Octuplets

Jade Goody's Boyfriend Wants Curfew Changed

Video: Pregnant M.I.A. Grammy Performance, Says Son To Be Hip Hop Star

Dr Phil Takes On Octuplets Mom. Guess Who Wins?

Octuplets Mom Nadya Suleman: Angelina Jolie Wannabe?

Naomi Watts Says Octuplets Story is Way Too Much

Octuplet Mom Nadya Suleman Received $300,000 For NBC Interview?

Michelle Obama on the Cover of Vogue

Nadya Suleman and the Octuplets - Their Story

Octuplets Mom Nadya Suleman: I'm Not Irresponsible Or Selfish

Kristy Swanson Gets Married to Skating With Celebrities Partner

Salma Hayek Spreads The Breastfeeding Love

Is Seth Binzer Dead From Cardiac Arrest?

Is Nadya Suleman in Hiding?

When the Kids Are Your Valentines

Jen Chaney — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 15:32:00 GMT

Remember when Valentine's Day was all about negligees and jewelry and candlelit dinners with the one you love? Well, not anymore. Apparently like Christmas, Easter, Halloween and, of course, Arbor Day, this holiday is all about the kids.

The Detroit Free Press recently ran this story announcing that Valentine's Day has been "reinvented as a day to celebrate the love of family." According to the article, all of us parental folk now spend the red-and-pink-colored occasion throwing "family love parties," baking Valentine's Day goodies, buying valentine-oriented gifts for the kids and enjoying meals of heart-shaped pancakes.

"There's a kid-centricity in our culture today," business professor Kit Yarrow tells the Free Press, adding, "It's a completely different holiday than it was for the parents of today's kids."

I'm not going to deny that Valentine's Day is focused on children. It's kind of hard to do that when I am currently faced with the prospect of writing valentines for every child in my two-year-old's daycare class. But I'm not sure I buy into the notion that this is a new phenomenon.

Maybe my childhood was unusual, but I remember my parents making a big deal about Valentine's Day, putting up decorations, giving us small gifts and baking cookies. It seemed to me the event was just as much about us as it was about the romance between our parents. Of course, my perception of all this could be understandably biased. But that's my recollection.

Besides, if Valentine's Day hadn't always been a child-centric thing, would the greeting card companies have been selling all those kiddie valentines for as long as they have? Would there have been a Charlie Brown Valentine special? Would Ralph Wiggum have been able to "choo- choo-choose" Lisa Simpsons in that classic Valentine's Day episode of "The Simpsons"?

Sure, there may be more Valentine's Day products available for kids these days than there were when we moms and dads were young, but I think that's just a fuction of companies doing what they always do: take advantage of the bump in commerce that holiday shopping inevitably brings. The same increase in commercialism has happened with Halloween and almost every other holiday you could name.

But maybe it's just me. Do you think Valentine's Day has radically transformed into a family-oriented affair? And will you be focused this Feb. 14 on your significant other, or the kids?

Image: Meta Dad

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